Scott Beveridge/Observer-Reporter ¬ The Michael H. Heinrich Funeral Home on Main Street in Claysville.

A Washington funeral supervisor has volunteered to serve as overseer of prearranged funerals at Claysville’s only funeral home, which closed about a month ago after its owner took an unannounced health leave.

Thomas W. Hummell of Hummell & Jones Funeral Home on Locust Avenue said he has placed the files of Michael H. Heinrich in safekeeping and that they all appear to be secure.

He said Heinrich’s customers have been asking questions and “need some peace of mind that their money is safe.”

A new owner also is expected to be announced soon for the Heinrich business at 219 Main St., Hummell said.

Heinrich apologized March 12 for stepping away from his business and not leaving a sign in its window or a telephone number to reach him after his funeral home’s closing made the news.

Hummell said more than 100 people had prepaid their funerals with Heinrich and are free to have arrangements transferred to a funeral home of their choosing.

Pennsylvania law is strict in the way in which it requires funeral directors to set aside money they collect for prearranged funerals to prevent the money from being misappropriated, Hummell said.

“It has to be placed into a commercial bank or a life insurance policy,” he said. “Some people are wondering where their money is and what happened to it.”

Hummell said Claysville residents are familiar with him because his name hung on the wall for many years as supervisor of the town’s funeral home.

Scott Beveridge is a North Charleroi native who has lived most of his life in nearby Rostraver Township. He is a general assignments reporter focusing on investigative journalism and writing stories about the mid-Mon Valley. He has a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master's from Duquesne University. Scott spent three weeks in Vietnam in 2004 as a foreign correspondent under an International Center for Journalists fellowship.